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I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. C. BLICKENSDERFER 8a H."SMITH. GONVBYER APPARATUS. No. 295,478. I Patented Mam. 18,1884.

(No Model.)

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(No Model.)

` 5 Sheets-Sheet .2.v G. C. BLIGK'ENSDERFER 8v H. SMITH.

GONVEYER APPARATUS.

No. 295,478. Patented Mar. i,1884..

A(No Model.) Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 3. G; C. BLIG'KENSDERPER `a H. SMITH.

CONYEYER APPARATUS.

Patented Mam. 18, 1884? NA PETERS. Phmumognphnr. waminwn. DA c 5 Sheets-Sheet 4. G. C. 'BLICKENSDERFER 8u H. SMITH.

{No.Model.)

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i UNTTEE- STATES GEORGE OANEIELD ELIOKENSDEEEER AND HEEVEY sMIrH, OE ERIE, PA."

:CONVEYER PATENT UEEIOE.

APPARATUS. i

SPECIFICATION forming para: of Letters Patent No. 295,478, dated-March 18, 1884.

Application filed January 24, 1884. (No model.)

Y hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such `as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.1

This invention relates to conveyers, such as A conveyers of packages and cash in stores and other like uses.

Theinvention consists of improvements in the construction and adjustment of the track,

the carriage or car,`tl1e means for switching l the car off the main track at stations, the

' tracks.

means for elevating the car to the track and placing it thereon, and other minor features of construction, as willfully appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows:

Figure l is a perspective view of the tracks and elevator at one of the stations. Fig. 2 is a side elevation,looking in the direction of the Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of parts shown adjacently in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a like View to Fig. 2, but shows the car just in the act of switching. Fig. 5 is a like view to Fig. 2, but shows the car just as it is being put on the main` track by the shipper.` Fig. 6 is ay perspective view of the shipper. Fig. 7 is an endview of the shipper, looking from acrossthe track. Fig. 8 is a side view of the runninggear of the car.` Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views` ofthe track at corners,` Fig. 9 showing a turn past an inner corner, and Fig. l() showing a turn around an outer corner. Fig. l1 is a side view of thefiron R, seen in Fig. 9. Fig. l2 isa perspective of the same iron. i t y The track used is ataut wire set at an angle,

so as `to form an inclined way. There are two tracks, A and B, `of which A is used for the car when goingto the central station or cash-y iers desk, and B for the car wheugoing `to the way pointsor stations.` Abovewe have spoken of the track A asthe fmain track, as

it leads t the central station or cashier7 s desk',

and so we may call the track B the returnmain track at any station, it runs directly through to the central or cashiers station, so there are no switches on that track; but the track B is provided with a switch or side track at each salesmans post or station to receive thefcar. These switches or side tracks are marked C in the drawings, and they act automatically to receive the car destined for them. Tracks for this purpose formed of a wire drawn taut or of rods of iron are common g and our invention,in so far as the tracks are concern ed, consists in the devices employed for making curves or turns around or` past corners, and in the manner of adjusting the side tracks with relation to the direct track, so as to automatically receive the car.

The devices used for carrying the track around curves are shown in Figs.. 9, 10, ll, and 12. Figs. 9 and l0 show two curves, that in Fig. 9 being within the angle, and the one in Fig. 10 being around the outside of an angle. `The one in Fig. 9 is such as the track would` make which runs around a room next to the wall, and the one in Fig. 10 is such as the `track would make which runs around a set of counters set in the middle of a room. In Veach the track-wire is marked A, and the around the corner. In Fig. 9 the wire A is curve is marked A. (Of course, it will be un# A as to extend the real track in a proper curve.

supportedV at the corner by a hook, S, (or it may be an eyebolt,) which passes througha staple-iron, and is made adjustable` by a nut for the purpose of taking up slack in the wireA i A. On the wire A, at the .pointsfroin which, the' curveis todiverge, are placedfrog-irons Ted 9. 29ans n R, (seen in detail in Figs. A11 and 12,) which .deect the main wire A down and up again,

and also form a bearing for the curve-piece A', so as to bring its ends in direct line with the main line A. The drop or depression in the main line allows the ends oi the curve-piece A' to lie in the plane of the mainline, and thus form an even and continuous track. Inthe curve shown in Fig. 1() the main wire is supported on arms T, extending from the opposite sides of the angle. These arms are T- shaped at their outer ends and perforated or slotted, so that the main wire A can be diverted from the upper to the lower side of the arms, from whence it extends from one arm to the other, forming the chord of the curve, but below the plane of the track, and the curvepiece is attached to the arms T by its ends, which are so adjusted as to continue the track evenly around the curve. It is not necessary that the main line A pass this corner unbroken, for the lines each way may end at the arms; but in that case there shouldv properly be a cross 4binder between the arms similar to the line A,where it passes likea chord to the curve.

The arrangement of the switch or side tracks, C, is clearly shown in Figs. l, 2, 4, and 5, where it will be seen that theyV do not connect with the direct line, but are adjusted at a point directly above the direct line (or they. may be directly below it) and from thence curve off to one side, in the manner of switch-tracks in. railroads. These switches can only be used with cars having a special set of wheels for running on the switches, which are adjusted directly above (or below, if the case so be) the main wheels. These switch-tracks may be so adjusted with relation to the position of the extra wheels on the cars as to engage the tread of those wheels and lift the main wheels oft' of the direct track, and thus switch the cars onto the siding. In our illustration, however, we show means for unshipping the main wheels, and thus making the car drop onto its eXtra wheels on the switchtrack. The essential feature of thispart of our invention, however, consists in the adjustment of the switch-track in a vertical plane, or substantially so, with the direct track, and the employment of two sets of wheels on the cars, one for the` direct track and the other for the switch track; and therefore whether the switch is adjusted above or below the direct track, or whether the car is picked up from I the direct track by the eXtra wheels running onto the switch, or is made to drop onto the switch, are unessential minor details. If the car is to be picked up by the switchtrack,the details of construction to that end would consist wholly in the proper adjustment of the switch-track with relation to the dista-nce the eXtra wheels are from the direct track, and needs no illustration, as there would be no special appliances, so we have illustrated the means for switching the car by the other method-viz., tha-t of unshipping the main wheels and allowing the car to drop with its eXtra wheels onto the switch-track. This construction is` clearly seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 8.

M is the car, which, as shown, is a wickerbasket with a hinged cover, and the runninggear is attached to the top, so that the car runs along pendent from the track. Baskets of various sizes may be kept at each station, and each may be provided with means for quickly attaching and detaching to and from the running-gear, so that one running-gear may be used for all sizes of baskets.

The running-gear of the car consists of a main upright, M', which is connected with the car M, two cross-arms, N' and O', andthe two sets of wheels N and O. The cross-arm O' and wheels -O are attached to the upright M' and the cross-arm N', and its wheels N are attached to an upright hinged bar, P. The crossbar N is so bent as to curve around the upright M' and thus afford attachment to the bar P and still allow the wheels N to be upon the track. The hinged bar P is pivoted on a stud, m', which extends out from the main upright M. The lower end of the bar P is curved, as at p,which,when the baris thrown back, hits upon the under side of the stud m', and serves as a stop to limit the backward movement of the bar P. This position of the parts is seen in Fig. 4, and it is the position assumed when the car is to run on the wheels O. When the car is to run on the wheels N, the bar P is thrown forward and its upper end, p, which is turned at an angle to the main part of the bar and is provided with a hook which passes through an opening in the upright M', and engages with a spring catchbolt, p3, and is thus retained until the catchbolt is drawn down, when the bar P will be thrown back by the spring p2,which is placed between the bar P and the upright M'. Fig. 3 shows the details of this construction clearly. It is now understood that when the wheels N are held in an upright position they will be upon the track, but when thrown back the wheels O will come into use. So this throwing back of the wheels N must only occur when thev car is passing the point of a switchtrack. There will be cars belonging to each station on the line, and only the cars belonging to a given station should switch off the direct line at that station, and the cars belonging to other stations should pass without being affected. So, then, each switch must act automatically only for the cars belonging at its station. This is accomplished as follows: Extending from the catch-bolt p3 out below the track is a pin, p5, and on the track at the proper point is aiinger, b, which,as the car passes, will draw down the catch-bolt by pressing upon the pin Now, if the fingers b are all of different length and are so placed along the line that they will be successively longer, the farther the stations are removed from the central station and the pins p5 on IOO IIO

l 295.475 f l 3 r the several' carsydesigned forthe several stations are properly `adjusted as to distance below the track, then the car designed for the farthest station will not come in `contact `with any of thengers l b atthe intermediate stations, and hence will `notbe switched until it reaches its station. In other words, when a car reaches a station wit-ha finger, b, on the line long enoughto `depress thespring-lcioltp3 by coming in contact with the `pin p5, it will be thrown ontothe switch at that stationn, because the` mainwheels N will be thrown oft the track and the wheels O will take to` the switch-track.

At the point of each switch devicesar'e provided for insuring perfect action, as follows: The point of the switch-track C is supported in proper position by a hanger, cl, which may be a branch of the main hanger .,D. This hanger d reaches over the track just` high enough above to allow the car to pass under, and guides d df are xd to the overhanging part of the hanger d, to guide and steady the car as it passes, a roller, m, being placed on the top of the upright M to act upon the guides. As the cars hang pendent from the track, they may sway and swing as they move along, but they should pass the switch without swaying,

` and these guides effect that result. `Fig. l

shows the form of these guides and their position clearly. The car being` thus held steady, it is ready to drop unto the switch without fail it' the lower wheels are unshipped. From the switchtrack C the car runs onto the` elevater-track C and is stopped by the buffer C2, and may then Vbe lowered down to the counter. The lelevator consists of a frame work, H H, Src., which is guided on vertical rods G, and is operated by a cord, L, running over a pulley, L. On the elevator, besides the car-receiver C, there is acar-shipping device, by which the cars are placed upon the mainline A. This device is seen in Figs. l, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7.` It consists of a tilting platform,I, which is pivoted at h on brackets HQ which are attached to the elevator frame-work H, and a sliding frame, J, with hooks or horns jj and lingers J J.

The construction and operation are as follows: Theelevator being let down to the counter, the car is hung on the hooks j by its crossarm N, its hooks being set at an incline, as

seen in Fig. 7, so that the car will hang at the same incline as the track, so that the wheels will meet the track fairly. The elevator is then drawn up' until the car-wheels are about opposite the track, when the end of the elbow-lever K (which is arranged, as shown clearly in Fig. 6, to move the slide J when depressed) comes in contact with a finger, F, which depresses the lever K and moves the slide J out over the track far enough to bring the car-wheels directly over it, the elevator having been pulled up far enough while depressing the lever K to bring the car-wheels just above the track. The position of parts at this time is clearly `and secured at the switchtrack, so` as to be readyto receive an incoming car. F, which depresses the lever K, as above de- The finger scribed, may be on a crossbar, F, which is adjustable by screws f at the proper height` on the guides G, as seen in Fig. 5,; or it may be on the cross-bar having the line-hanger E thrown, as shown in Fig. 1. Wherever placed it should be adjustable, so as to be adjusted at each station in accordance with the grade `of the line A.

What we claim as new is- 1. In a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with a continuous taut-wire track which passes curves or corners by angular bends, of a curved track formed of another piece of metal and adjust-ed with relation to the main Wire, substantially as shown, so as to form a continuous properly-curved track.

2. In a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with a continuous taut-wire track which passes curves or corners by angular bends and a separate curved track, of an iron forming a connection for said curved track upon said main track, through which the said main track is deilected downward, so as to allow the curved track to lie in the plane of the main track, substantially as set forth.

3. In` a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with the curved track A and the main track A, of the connecting-iron (R or T) which connects both tracks and detlects the main track below the end of the curved track, substantially as and for the as shown, the combination, with the main or direct track, of a switch-track, thepoint of which lies in a substantially vertical plane with said main track, and a car having two sets of wheels arranged one set above the other, sub-` stantially as and for the purposes mentioned. l 6. In a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with a main or direct Atrack and a switch or side track, the latter of which has its point lying in a substantially vertical plane with the said direct track, of a car having two sets of wheels arranged one set above the other, one of which sets is designed to traverse the main track, and is so adjusted as to be thrown out of position for use,and the other set is designed for use up- IOO on the switch-track when the said main Wheels have been thrown out of position for use.

7. In a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with the tracks B and C and inger b, of the main car-Wheels N,

` cross-bar N, pivoted Catch-bar l?, spring-bolt p3, pin p5, spring` p2, and the Wheels O.

8. In a eonveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with the tracks B' means, substantially as shown, for sliding out said car-holder by the upward action of the elevator.

11. In a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with the elevator, of the sliding` platform J, adapted to hold the ear, the elbow-lever K, and finger F, for the purposes mentioned.

l2. In a conveyer apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, with the elevator, of the tiltingplatform I and the sliding,` carholder J, With hooks j and ngers J, for the purposes mentioned.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE CANFIELD BLICKENSDERFER.

HERVEY SMITH.

Witnesses: l

J No. K. HALLooK, ROBERT H.' PORTER. 

